V4V Good Practice Case Studies: Netherlands Bridgebond (Dutch Bridge Association)

Pillar 1 – Volunteer strategy and planning

Pillar 2 – Volunteer recruitment and deployment

Pillar 3 – Volunteer management and retention

Pillar 4 – Volunteer development and training

Focus of volunteer intervention: Training for volunteers

The BridgeBond (Dutch Bridge Association) aims to promote the game of bridge by organising and supporting bridge competitions, developing resources to get more people interested in bridge, and supporting member bridge associations. There are approximately 1050 members of the BridgeBond organised across 24 districts, with more than 117,000 members.

The provision of bridge in the Netherlands is entirely dependent on volunteers, therefore providing appropriate and accessible training for volunteers is essential. This initiative aimed to create of a community of well-trained volunteers to support the development and provision of bridge across member associations.

Two different types of training courses are offered to potential volunteers:

1. Training for volunteers who aspire to work with juniors.
2. Training for volunteers who aspire to teach adults.

Both programmes last 12-months with volunteers receiving official certification at the end of the programme.

Additional training is also provided to volunteers who oversee events and administration activities. For example, specialised courses are provided for volunteers who hold positions within clubs such as president, treasurer and/or secretary.

Volunteers who have made an exceptional contribution to bridge are also recognised on the BridgeBond website in the ‘Gallery of Decorated Volunteers’ – this recognised distinguished bridge players, clubs and volunteers/officials. Individuals who have made a special contribution are eligible for appointment to the Order of Orange-Nassau, a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry which recognises individuals who have performed acts of special merits for society.

A key challenge has been retaining volunteers after the Covid-19 Pandemic. It has also been difficult to recruit volunteers to the “Directive consortium” (President, treasurer and secretary) due to the commitment and time these roles take.

The training offer has helped to expand a quality of volunteering through the bridge community and improved the quality of bridge provision.